Treats
by TheLostMaximoff
Summary: Halloween was always Scarecrow's favorite holiday.


Treats

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I was Two-Face at a Halloween party this year so I thought the rest of Arkham could use some Halloween love. R/R.

Their screams excite you, don't they? The way the entire lot of them lose all semblance of civility and rationality gives you a secret thrill that you dare not show to anyone. I can see it in your eyes. You cower before me in fear but I see something else in your terrified eyes. Yes, admiration. You wish you had the courage to do something like this. You wish it was you in this costume because then you would have the power I have, the power of fear. The unholy terror around you is a scene from your own private fantasies. I know your kind, little one. I am king of your kind.

I have great respect for academia. Institutions of learning offer marvelous chances to improve one's mind, broaden one's horizons. I am a staunch advocate of the pursuit of knowledge. However, all systems must have their drawbacks. Social interaction was never my forte. I can see that you're much the same way. Oh how loathsome it is to be at the bottom of the food chain. The scorn, the ridicule, the constant name-calling and physical abuse never seem to cease. You know all of these woes as well as I do. You know how much of a Hell this place can be. High school. Perhaps this place is the real madhouse.

This holiday excites you, doesn't it? Halloween is the time for monsters to come out of the dark and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting. Halloween is when our kind takes their rightful place at the top of the food chain. It's only one night, one glorious night when abnormality reigns supreme and those with the sickest of fetishes are free to indulge in their vices. Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's why I came to this school. It's why I filled this place with so much terror. They play such cruel tricks on you, my little girl. Let's give them a real treat today.

You see, I know the things you've whispered in the dark, the silent prayers to a nameless god you've uttered. You have begged for something like this to happen. You've never spoken it aloud but you know that their torment has always been your private wet dream, your guilty pleasure. Be still, child, and know that I have heard your prayers. That's why I came to these halls. I came to teach these bright, young minds a real lesson, a lesson in fear. You see, it gives me a private thrill too. The pretty, bleach-blond cheerleaders are terrified. The snotty, rich princes and princesses are petrified. The jocks, oh those brutish troglodytes, are crying in fear. All those who laughed, all those who mocked, are not the subject of my own laughter as their hysterics cause me to cackle with glee. I can see it in your eyes too. You enjoy this ever so much.

We're not so different, you and I. It could easily be you in this costume and me cowering on the floor in front of you. You've wanted to strike back. You've grown tired of the heaping injustices and tired of thinking that you're to blame when you know deep inside that you're really just the victim. You want their blood, their tears, their screams. You want revenge. Perhaps you're even jealous of me, jealous that I wield the power you so desperately crave. Patience, my dear, patience. You'll have your chance soon enough. You see, you can't really snuff out kids like us no more than you can vanquish your own worst fear. As long as there are people like them, there will be people like us. They're not so tough, child. I've mastered their games. Batman can lock me away but more of us are created each day. All we need is to use their weapon as our own. In time, you will come to understand this as I already have.

The screams make you shiver with delight. Your eyes betray you. You cower before me but not from fear alone. I am your savior, your avenger. Every school has at least one outcast in it. I'm their god because I'm the only one who can turn the tables. I'm the only one who can answer the prayers of the damned. It won't do to have my children terrified of me. I'm not the bully here, child. There's no need to fear me.

"Take this," I tell you as I reach out my hand. The pill is a concoction of my own design. It will protect you from my fear gas. I want you to see this with a clear mind. These people you hate and despise are going to suffer the cruelest of tricks. I want you to see their agony with your own perceptions so that you might better enjoy the treat I've given you. Your prayers have been answered, child. Your deliverance is at hand.

You swallow the pill, too afraid to do anything else. That's the drug they feed you, child. Fear is what they trick you with, what they use to keep you helpless and under their control. They're not so tough, little one. We can show them who is stronger. Fear is my weapon, not theirs. You can master it too.

"Rest, little girl," I tell you with a smile, "Scarecrow will make sure they all receive their treats." I see the terror in your eyes. It doesn't take gas to show someone their worst fear. I know yours because at one time it was mine as well. Their screams delight you and you feel repulsed by it, feel sickened and disgusted at the idea of reveling in the pain of others. There's still just enough humanity left in you for you to pity these people who make your life a daily nightmare. Your greatest fear is turning into a monster like me. Happy Halloween, my little girl. I do hope you enjoy this treat.


End file.
